Slugbreath and Muddy
by Cas di Angelo
Summary: A multi-chapter story about the budding relationship between Ron and Hermione. Chapters will be short, and there will be at least one per school year. Maybe some for the summer and afterwards. Read and Review, please!
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! A new story! I decided I've had enough of those grown-up love stories, and I wanted to put one out there that depicted the development of this particular relationship. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Has anyone seen a toad?" Hermione poked her head into another compartment, this one containing two boys surrounded by candy. Hermione resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose. "A boy named Neville has lost one."<p>

The red haired boy, who had a beat-up old wand out, shook his head. "No," he said. Hermione could tell his mouth was still filled with candy.

"Oh, you're doing magic?" she asked. Hermione was curious about the other students' abilities. "Let's see then."

The boy looked a bit bewildered, but he cleared his throat and scrunched his eyebrows. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow… Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

A faint flash of light came from a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans on his lap, and Hermione realized there was a sickly looking rat there. She pressed her mouth into a thin line.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" she asked, laughing slightly. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've only tried a few simple ones myself, but they've all worked for me." She sat down in front of the dark haired boy, aiming her wand at the tape wrapped around the bridge of his glasses. "For example: _Oculus Reparo!"_

The dark haired boy took of his glasses, looking at them in amazement. Hermione spied a lightning bolt shaped scar through the parted hair on his forehead, and her eyes widened.

"Holy cricket," she said. "You're Harry Potter!" All the facts she'd come across whilst reading flashed through her head. "I'm Hermione Granger," she remembered the ginger boy, and decided to be polite. "And, you are?"

He'd just stuffed his mouth full again. "Ahm—Ron Weasley."

"Pleasure," she said lightly. She directed her attention back to Harry. "You two had better change into robes, I expect we'll be arriving soon."

Just as she was about to leave, she turned back to Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose, did you know? Just there," she touched the side of her own nose and turned down the train corridor. For some reason, she couldn't stop wondering what house Ron and Harry would be in.

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><p><strong>Reviews will make chapter 2 come up much quicker, and so on and so forth! So the more you want to read, the more you should review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all, I'm very sorry that last chapter seemed like I'd just transcribed the movie… that's not what I intended. From now on, I'm going to try writing 'missing moments' from the books/movies. Actually this story is a sort of hybrid of the two; I've taken my favorite parts from both and melded them together.**

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><p>Hermione sat on the edge of a bed in the Hospital wing, watching as Madame Pomfrey attended to Ron. Her wrist hurt a bit from falling out of the Devil's Snare, but the fact that Ron was unconscious was more important.<p>

"What exactly were you doing?" Madame Pomfrey asked, casting Hermione a quizzical look.

Hermione hesitated, then said, "He was playing a rough game of chess," she hoped the medical witch would believe her.

Madame Pomfrey studied Hermione for a moment, then turned back to Ron. "There," she said finally. "Just a bit of rest and he'll be as good as new. Now, what did you say was troubling you?"

Hermione held out her left wrist. "I think I sprained it," she said. Madame Pomfrey raised an eyebrow.

"Playing this rough game of chess?" she asked.

"Well, no," Hermione said sheepishly. "I mostly just watched."

The older witch pursed her lips and did a simple flourish with her wand, ordered Hermione to stay put, and left to her office. After she was gone, Hermione swung her legs up onto the bed to sit cross-legged and leaned her back against the metal head frame.

Never in her life—both at home in the Muggle world and during her single year at Hogwarts—had she seen such an exciting and terrifying game of chess. In truth, she'd always thought it slightly boring to watch, though she loved the mental challenge it presented when playing. She wondered if Ron would let her play against him; he was, after all, a very good player.

She turned her head to look at the sleeping red-haired boy. He really did belong in Gryffindor, there was no doubt about that. He knew what would happen if his piece was taken, but he did it anyway so Harry could go on to stop Snape. For a moment, Hermione felt a small burst of pride for being his friend.

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><p><strong>There you go. A missing moment! I think what I'm going to do is have at least two of these per year, and I'm being canon with the booksmovies, meaning they won't be kissing until the end. But there will be slight fluff!**


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione led her parents through the Leaky Cauldron, attracting the attention of the few wizards and witches in the pub. When they reached the wall that led to Diagon Alley, she pulled out her wand and stood on tip-toe to tap the right brick. She smiled at the looks of amazement on her parents' faces.

"Where did your friend say he was meeting you?" asked Mrs. Granger.

"Gringotts," Hermione said. "And we're not just meeting Ron, we'll be meeting the rest of his family, and Harry too. I'm sure you'll love all of them."

Hermione pulled them along to the tall shining bank, and when they got close enough she could see a group of red-heads that could only be the Weasleys. She waved and called out to Ron, who detached himself from his family to greet her.

"Have you seen Harry?" he asked.

"I thought he was you," Hermione said. "Didn't he come with you?"

"Well, we came by Floo powder, and I think something went wrong," Ron said sheepishly. Only now did Hermione realize the entire family was dusted with soot. She giggled.

"Mum, dad, this is my friend Ron," Hermione said. She continued to introduce the rest of the Weasley family to her parents.

"Yes, Hermione has told us a lot about you," Mr. Granger said to Ron. Hermione blushed a bit as her father continued. "It seems the two of you have plenty of adventures together."

"It's not just us, dad," Hermione said quickly. "Harry goes with us, too."

"Speaking of Harry," Mrs. Weasley peered around the crowded street. "Does anyone see him?"

They looked around for a moment before Ginny cried out, "There, I see him!"

They all turned to where Ginny was pointing, and Hermione was surprised to see Hagrid leading Harry along the street. Even from far away, she could tell he was covered in more soot than any of the Weasleys.

Hermione threw Ron a grin, and the two of them took off to give their hellos to Harry.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione heard the door of the Hospital wing opening, and she hastily stuffed a card under her pillow. She hoped it wasn't Harry and Ron again, come to make fun of her for getting a valentine from Lockhart. She looked to the newcomer and saw it was only Ron.

"Listen," Ron said slowly. "I'm sorry about earlier…"

"That's alright," Hermione said, but in her head she was extremely surprised; she couldn't recall Ron apologizing for anything before.

"Not just about the card," Ron's cheeks turned slightly pink. "I'm sorry I made fun of you… about what happened with the Polyjuice Potion."

Hermione looked down at her hands, allowing her bushy hair to fall forward and hide her smile. "Really, it's alright."

"No," Ron shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I was being stupid."

They were both silent for a long moment, then Madam Pomfrey bustled over with a potion for Hermione. Ron mumbled something incoherent and quickly left the room, leaving Hermione feeling slightly confused.

_Maybe he's not such an annoying friend after all,_ Hermione thought as she downed the potion.

Madam Pomfrey walked over to the doorway, where a ball of crumpled parchment lay, almost hidden by the door. "He must have dropped this on his way out," she said. "It looks like he was going to give it to you."

Hermione took the parchment from Madam Pomfrey, carefully unfurling it to find a simple card.

_We miss you in class, get better soon._

Hermione stared at the card, tracing the letters with her fingers. It had been crumpled before the ink was dry, and it left little smudges of black all over. Hermione recognized Ron's handwriting, and she wondered if Harry had had a part of it at all.

She slumped back onto her pillow, trying to puzzle out the situation. Lately, she'd felt herself blush whenever Ron said something to her. She'd written her mum to ask her advice, and she'd replied with a simple _'Let it happen'._ Even though she was one of the smartest witches of their year, this was one problem she couldn't find an answer to.

When she finally went to sleep, she didn't even notice that she was holding Ron's card against her chest.

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><p><strong>Hmph. Well, I just realized that these chapters are incredibly short. Oh well, I'm having fun writing these little bits. How about you? Are you enjoying reading these little bits? This one is supposed to take place on St Valentine's Day, if you haven't caught on.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I feel like I owe an explanation: the title. I was watching Chamber of Secrets, you see, with a Rifftrax (don't know; look it up) and they kept referring to Ron and Hermione as 'Slugbreath' and 'Muddy'. I just had to use it. In any case, the flood of story alerts, story fav's, and author alerts/fav's that have been coming in-not to mention the _reviews!_-have made me very enthusiastic about giving the audience more!**

Hermione inhaled suddenly, blinking rapidly. She was lying in the Hospital Wing, and Madame Pomfrey was standing over her, smiling.

"Welcome back, Miss Granger," she said. She filled a goblet with pumpkin juice and placed it on Hermione's bedside table.

She sat up, noticing first that her left fist was empty. She smiled and picked up the goblet, taking a sip. After being petrified for who knew how long, she was quite thirsty. In the bed next to her, Penelope Clearwater rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"You knew didn't you?" she asked as soon as she saw Hermione. "You knew what was going on?"

Hermione shrugged. "I only had a hunch," she said.

"But it was a good one," Madame Pomfrey said as she gave some Mandrake potion to Justin Flinch-Fletchley. Hermione blushed, and smiled. Madame Pomfrey finished giving out the potion, and she set the bottle down on a table. "You can all go down to the feast now," she said. "I believe the students are still eating."

"Still?" Justin asked. "But it's the middle of the night,"

"Well, I'm not going to question it," Penelope hopped off her bed. "I want to see Percy."

The rest of the students followed her lead and followed her down to the Great Hall. Hermione thought of her two best friends, and her thoughts spurred her legs onward to almost a run. Not surprisingly, the rest of the students kept up with her.

They were greeted with loud cheers when they entered the Great Hall, and Hermione ran along the Gryffindor table, throwing a hug around her two friends. It wasn't until she was pulling away that she realized the bulk of her hug had been given to Ron. She blushed and dropped her arms, smiling—a little shyly—at the red-haired boy in front of her.

"You solved it," she said, forcing herself to look at Harry, as well. _Just a crush,_ she told herself, _it is just a crush. _"I can't believe you solved it!"

They sat back down at the table, which was a bit crammed, and Hermione listened as Harry and Ron related the events of their tale. But really, Hermione could barely get over the fact that her shoulder was right up against Ron's.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione sat on her bed, looking over the list of schoolbooks and making sure she had everything. Sitting beside her was a list she'd made of things to pack in her trunk, and she was halfway through re-packing _again_ so everything would fit.

"Hermione," Mrs. Granger elbowed the door open. "Here's the rest of your laundry."

"Thanks," Hermione said. She put her list aside. "Mum, can I ask you something?"

Mrs. Granger set the clothes hamper on the floor and sat on the edge of Hermione's bed. "What is it darling?"

Hermione thought for a moment, carefully wording her question in her head. "Did you ever develop a crush on a friend?" she asked.

Mrs. Granger smiled. "Of course I did," she said. "He was my best friend at the time, and we ended up married. Why do you ask?"

Hermione looked down at her hands, not quite sure how to answer. Thankfully, Mrs. Granger was a very astute woman.

"Is it Harry or Ron?"

Hermione felt her cheeks grow hot. "Ron," she said quietly. Her eyes darted to a clipping on the nightstand of the Weasley family. She could pick out Ron instantly, waving happily from Egypt.

Mrs. Granger touched her daughter's hand. "Well, darling, you're only thirteen," she said. "I suggest you make certain he stays your friend. If you still feel the same in a few years, then I guess we'll see what happens."

"But what if he never sees me as more than a friend?" _Or study partner,_ Hermione added silently.

"You'll just have to cross that bridge when you come to it," Mrs. Granger said. "But if it makes you feel any better, I think he'd be crazy not to like you."

Hermione laughed. "Well, he is a bit crazy," she joked. She and her mother laughed for a bit, and Hermione felt much better.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Mrs. Granger reached into the seat pocket of her jeans and pulled out a folded sheet of parchment. "I've got your permission form signed. Hogsmeade sounds like a fun place."

"It will be even better with Ron and Harry," Hermione said eagerly. She'd read a lot about the wizarding village, and she was probably looking forward to it the most—second, of course, to the new magic they'd be learning.

Mrs. Granger grinned at the mention of Ron, and Hermione blushed again. She chuckled, then looked around at Hermione's school things. "Will you be ready by tomorrow morning?" she asked.

"Yes," Hermione picked up her list, checking over the books again. "I've got all my supplies, and I just need to get my robes re-fitted. I also wanted to go to Flourish and Blott's to get something to read on the side."

Mrs. Granger chuckled again. "Your father and I could send you books," she said. "Those Sherlock Holmes books your father ordered should be here sometime next week."

"That would be great," Hermione said, now carefully stacking books in her trunk. She liked to think of it as a jigsaw puzzle, fitting all her things in. If she placed everything just right nothing would get bustled about or break. Mrs. Granger watched as Hermione filled her trunk.

"How many classes are you taking?" she asked.

"A fair few," Hermione said nonchalantly. "I signed up for everything that sounded interesting, and I can't wait to get started."

"_Unfogging the Future,_" Mrs. Granger read from the book in Hermione's hands.

"Divination," Hermione explained. "I'm not so certain about it, but Ron and Harry are taking it and it sounds—"

"Interesting," Mrs. Granger finished with Hermione. "Just as long as you enjoy yourself," she stood up. "Well, I've got to check on supper. I'll call you down when it's ready."

"Alright, Mum," Hermione began folding her clothes and stacking them on top of the books. When her mother had left the room, Hermione picked up the _Daily Prophet_ clipping that had Ron's picture and folded it neatly, tucking it into a pair of jeans.


	7. Chapter 7

It was well after midnight, and Hermione was still full from the Christmas feast. She lay on her side, stroking Crookshanks' long fur and hoping his purring would lull her to sleep. She was still a little sour about the row she'd had with Ron about Harry's Firebolt. Not to mention all his viscous stabs at her cat. Holy cricket, Ron could be frustrating.

Deciding she wouldn't be able to sleep anytime soon, Hermione lit the end of her wand and picked up her most recent letter from her mum.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Well, of course he's being a pain! That's how boys are at that age. Why, I remember a time when not a day went by that I wasn't annoyed with your father. Whatever you do, keep hold of your friendships. I know you darling, and you get downright miserable when you lose a friend. Don't let any sort of small disagreement get between you._

Hermione read the paragraph over and over again, trying to reassure herself. She was _not_ going to lose Ron as a friend, she was certain of that. But why did he have to be so darn stubborn?

"Hermione, go to sleep," mumbled Lavender from two beds away. She was squinting at Hermione from her pillow, looking a bit cross.

"Sorry," Hermione whispered. She folded the letter up again and extinguished her wand, placing both on the nightstand. Just as Hermione was about to close her eyes, she reached under her bed and pulled out the picture of Ron's family from Egypt, touching the spot where she knew Ron's face to be. She fell asleep with the picture under her pillow.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione felt her heart racing as she and Harry led Buckbeak through the forest. They had to get in sight of the Womping Willow, and Hermione felt the need to hurry even though they'd be in the Shrieking Shack for about an hour.

They sat under the cover of trees while Buckbeak ferreted in the earth behind them. Even though it was June, the night was growing chilly. Hermione was glad she was wearing a jacket.

_We're doing this for Sirius,_ she told herself. _So an innocent man can go free._

Subconsciously her hand went to the Time-Turner around her neck. The little thing had caused quite a lot of trouble this past year… sure she was able to get to all her classes, but the homework strain was almost too much. And that was just the start of it.

Because she'd gone back at least an hour almost every day for the past ten months, her body aged more quickly than it should have. She was now closer to fifteen than fourteen, something that bothered her deeply. What would Ron say if he found out? She was older than him anyway, but now the gap seemed even wider…

Hermione shook herself, forcing her thoughts away from Ron. They were on a mission to save Sirius, to set an innocent man free. She chanted those facts in her mind, determined to stay focused.

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><p><strong>Sorry it took me so long to update, I was having trouble finding a moment to write about. With that said, here's how the chapters concerning book 4 are going to go: I will not be writing about SPEW because I honestly thought it was pompous of Hermione to do such a thing. I actually only skim over those parts in the book. Stuff I WILL be including: QWC. Yule Ball. And the Maze. If I think of something else in between, I'll post it as well, but so far that's all I have planned. Happy reading!<br>**


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